Candy Melts

I used to be really good at using the candy melts. I like to use the Whimsical Cake method. I have been having a hard time lately getting them to stay melted enough to make my decorations. Does anybody have a method of keeping them melted in a bag that has already been cut? The melts seem thicken and lose the flow for me to allow to 'draw' with them. Those plastic bottles stink! You would have to fill them all the way if you wanted to use them otherwise you can't squeeze the melted candy out of them. I can't put the bags back in the hot water after the bag has been cut because the water would get into them. I feel like I am whining, so I'll stop here

I melt mine in the microwave. So, if they get to solid, I just throw them back in there for a few seconds. You do have to squeeze the cut tip with your fingers ro get the little "clog" out. For some reason, this part never seems to remelt well, even when the chocolate above it is quite liquid. Another thing I do is to keep a hot water bottle (yes, the kind from the drug store) on the table beside me and lay the bags I'm not using on that. It keeps them warm and fluid a little longer. I love making the chocolate trnasfers. It's quite fun. I think my next transfer project request is a thoman train cake. Hope that helps a little. Heather

I was having the same problem the first time I used melts so gave them up for many months. This last time I tried, I got out my electric griddle, rolled on some parchment to protect the nonstick finish and set it on less then low. I laid on my instant thermometer to keep track of the temp. I melted the colors in the microwave, filled the bags and snipped off the end. Bakehouse says 100 degrees so if the temp. fell, I turned the griddle on for a couple of minutes to bring it back up. When the flow from the bag slowed down, I just laid it on the griddle until it loosened up. It worked great. I still don't have perfect control of the outlines, but it was so much better than the bottles. I did use one of them for some vegetable oil. Bakehouse suggests you may need to add a few drops to get the correct consistency.

This is probably a huge no-no....but I would place the tip on my burner just long enough to warm up that gloop that hardens in the tip. I would lay the bags on a small cookie sheet that was laying on top of a pot of simmering water to keep the bags flowing (because I don't have a water bottle or heating pad).